Sleepin_Dragon

Tara Dunning vanishes from the family farm, leaving a concerned husband and a few unanswered questions. Local Celia Machin is eager to cast suspicion, and an obvious target, with a history, soon emerges. Ridley reluctantly steps back from the bar just when Annie needs him.

I've been fairly critical of this second series, but credit where it's due - it's concluding in style.

This first instalment is great. All the strong elements I loved from the first series are present: a compelling story, well-drawn characters, and genuine tension. It feels story-driven, which is a relief, because too often this series has leaned on politics and soap-style distractions that didn't quite land. Here, aside from a brief Darren subplot, it's all about Tara's disappearance.

We finally get more insight into Harry and what makes him tick. The excellent John Michie has been largely silent this series, a shame, but I suspect the next episode will give him his moment.

Acting is strong across the board. Maggie Steed, as ever, is a delight to watch and delivers a quietly very good here.

I may be wrong, but this felt like an episode of Vera with Ridley inserted - cold, gritty, Northern drama. That opening sequence definitely had a Vera vibe.

8.5/10.

Audrey Bedford is released from prison after wrongly serving nine months for a minor theft. Desperate to rebuild her life, she's unexpectedly offered a job by the mysterious Mr Malpas - a position far too appealing to turn down.

I have to be honest, I went in expecting this one to be a bit of a clunker, yet I find myself genuinely surprised. I may even suggest it's one of the best of the entire run.

There's a slightly darker feel to it, not quite a straight mystery. Yes, it's full of suspense and intrigue, but there's also a very mild brush of horror. It sits a little awkwardly in the run: it has the branding, the formula, the name... yet something feels different. Not in a bad way. It's as though someone tried to file it neatly under the Wallace umbrella but accidentally picked up a more premium one on the way out.

It's glossy - very glossy - and it's clear the budget was nudged up a little. The music, atmosphere and visuals are all spot on.

One sequence really stood out: the mysterious Mr Malpas interviewing a source from behind a blinding light. It's a terrific, chilling moment. And there was me thinking Agatha Christie came up with the idea in 'The Dream'.

I can't fault a single performance. Maureen Swanson, Ronald Howard, Allan Cuthbertson, Sandra Dorne and Alan Tilvern are all on point.

It's taken a while for me to track it down, but I'm stunned by how good it is. It's a curiosity in the set, of course - held back from the original broadcast run and later folded into the Edgar Wallace series, which only adds to its odd little mystique.

8.5/10.

Susan and Ed are in a perilous position, still having to ensure the Katuma survey is completed and the RX44 launched, while someone continues to try and wreck the mission.

It's big and brash, wonderfully over the top, and it's definitely ventured into sci-fi territory - and I'm more than happy with that.

A bold move to kick off series two with a two-part story, but it works. The plot felt far too big to resolve in 45 minutes, and the extended run gives the story and characters room to breathe.

It's a very satisfying conclusion. Fast and tense, constantly shifting direction - just as the team seem to get ahead, the villains counter. Proper to-and-fro action.

We learn a little more about Beckett through his ex, with Birdsall great, though the focus leans more on Ed and Ros. Ros is once again racing around London like Sarah Jane Smith with sonic lipstick at the ready.

The visuals are very much of their time, but pretty decent. The space shots are a little raw, but if Doctor Who hadn't been axed in 1989, this is exactly how I imagine it would have looked. Every device bleeps and whirls with pure satisfaction.

I'm a fan of Lesley Vickerage, but she's getting money for old rope here - mostly sitting in an orange suit fawning over Craig McLachlan. Tough job.

Wonderful nostalgia and bags of fun.

8/10.